The Villainess Builds a Department Store - Chapter 49

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Villainess Establishes a Department Store

Chapter 49

“What on earth happened to that hand of yours?”

“The bone isn’t broken. Anyway, this belongs to your Younger Sibling, right?”

Bastian urged me on in a tone that suggested it was no big deal. Even as he spoke, Bastian’s hand was turning a bluish-purple color.

It seemed like we should go to the hospital first. But could I find Antoine on my own without Bastian? What if leaving that hand like this makes it worse? Even now, Antoine might be getting farther and farther away. And so might Bastian’s hand. So I had to make a choice.

But who should I choose?

‘I need to… I need to pull myself together…’

While I was conflicted and unable to readily choose either option, Bastian suddenly grabbed my wrist and pulled me along.

“Get it together. Your Younger Sibling was well-dressed, right?”

“…Of course.”

Why is he suddenly asking about clothing? Is he planning to make missing child flyers or something?

“Money? Does he have any money on him?”

“What would he need to carry cash around for?”

“So right now a rich family’s child is wandering around without a penny. Do you know what this means? It means he’s currently a walking, well-cooked sausage.”

They’ll strip off his clothes to sell them, and who knows where they’ll sell the kid too? Bastian added with a bitter sneer. I suddenly snapped to attention.

“That’s all fine, but why a sausage of all things?”

“I found this next to the Sausage Vendor over there. Get it together. The hand can go to the hospital later. But a lost child can’t.”

“I, I know that too!”

Right. Now was the time to focus on finding Antoine.

“Excuse me, could I ask you something?”

Just as the smell of well-cooked sausages was about to bring a smile to my face, the Merchant’s fierce expression wiped all traces of laughter from my face.

“Yes, welco…”

But we had our walking door, Monsieur Laurent. When he kept his mouth shut, he looked more like an officer from some military academy rather than a lawyer or secretary, and thanks to that, we were able to get very kind and courteous cooperation.

“He went in that direction. But… he was saying something strange.”

“Something strange?”

“He was rambling about never having forcibly taken money from anyone, but it didn’t seem like anything important.”

Monsieur Laurent shrugged. Taking money? What? I thought he seemed like a normal person…

“That direction is a dead end.”

Bastian, who had been quiet while Monsieur Laurent dealt with the Sausage Vendor, muttered as if something had occurred to him.

Following his gaze, there was an exit leading to a side path. The structure seemed somehow familiar.

“Do you have any leads?”

“Even though it’s become a completely new Alley, the basic structure is the same. That was a dead-end alley. He might still be in there.”

In other words, it was like a side branch that was too thick to prune, so it was left alone.

Only then could I identify the source of my déjà vu. I too had frequently visited that place in the much more distant future.

“Let’s hurry and check!”

Please still be there. Please, Antoine. Please be there!

After passing through the largest arch of the Passage, a space appeared that was similar to yet different from the one in my memory.

At the end of the path I remembered was an Antique Bookshop. The white-haired owner was a person of generous character who turned a blind eye to Antoine using his Shop like a library when he was too poor to afford books.

And now.

There was a wooden sign that still smelled of paint rather than a faded signboard, new books with vivid covers and illustrations, and a Company President whose hair hadn’t yet turned completely white.

Still not stopping Antoine from reading, but rather watching him from a distance as if he found it admirable.

“Antoine!”

I ran over in one breath and hugged Antoine. Thank you, God, thank you! I called upon God, whom I hadn’t sought even when I was possessed or regressed, and repeated my thanks over and over.

“Old… Older Sister…?”

And Antoine too, upon seeing me, widened his eyes and just gaped, then immediately burst into tears and began sobbing loudly.

Thick tears like chicken droppings fell and spread across the fairy tale book Antoine had been reading. Monsieur Laurent’s voice explaining the situation to the bewildered Bookstore owner sounded muffled, as if heard through glass.

“Antoine! Do you know how, how worried I was?”

“Older Sister… Older Sister…”

“Are you hurt anywhere? Did you lose anything? You’re okay, right?”

“Waaah! Huhuhu… Older Sister, Older Sister…”

You fool! Why did you go out! Such words surged up to my throat and swirled precariously. But blaming Antoine here wouldn’t change anything.

Antoine must have been the most scared of all, so what I needed to do now wasn’t blame and scold my Younger Sibling, but hold him tight and comfort him.

“Yes! Grandfather praised me for reading well!”

“…I see…”

I somehow managed to move my head, which felt incredibly heavy, and bowed to the Bookstore owner.

“Let’s go Home. Father and Mother are very worried.”

Do you think it’s just our Parents? What about all the people who came out looking for you?

But since you’re safe, that’s enough.

As the tension released, my whole body suddenly felt languid and I was enveloped in a strange floating sensation. Barely supporting my collapsing body, I hugged Antoine tightly, and his childlike sweet sweat smell and warm body temperature filled my arms.

“But Older Sister.”

“Yes?”

“Can I buy this book? The Sausage Vendor scolded me earlier for not having money.”

The Sausage Vendor?

Unlike me, who just blinked at the incomprehensible words, Monsieur Laurent seemed to have caught onto something, as the space between his eyebrows narrowed slightly.

“…Yes. Let’s buy as many as you want. I’ll even buy this entire Bookstore if you want.”

This time Older Sister has money. Any book you want, I can buy you as many as you’d like.

Our Parents, who had been anxiously and nervously waiting for our return, immediately teared up and came running as soon as they saw Antoine being carried back on Monsieur Laurent’s back.

“Antoine! Sob… Where on earth did you go without saying anything! Do you know how much, how much Mother worried?”

Mother gently patted Antoine’s bottom, then hugged him tight, then held his face with both hands and examined him this way and that, then patted his bottom again… repeating such actions countless times.

Father too had reddened eyes and kept blinking to control his emotions.

The people around us all agreed that it was truly fortunate, that there must have been divine grace, nodding their heads. There were actually people who put their hands together in prayer.

Watching that scene, one thought occurred to me.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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